[Sca-cooks] Turnips or Rutabagas?

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Feb 1, 2007, at 12:51 PM, silverr0se at aol.com wrote:

> Last night I found lamb shanks on sale at my local Ralph's and  
> decided to to make my own version of Scoth Broth (I've beem trying  
> to re-create the flavor of the now-defunct Campbell's soup I  
> rememeber from my childhoodm with very little sucess but some darn  
> good soups).
>
> Normally I would add turnips to this but the market didn't have  
> any. They did, however, have rutabagas, which I did not buy, having  
> never tasted one.
>
> Can the root-veggie savvy here on the list explain the difference  
> in flavor, so I'll know for next time?

They're a bit less sweet, and have a slightly sharper, cabbage/ 
mustard/radish flavor profile. As others have said, there are various  
things you can do to reduce the impact. They also have a _slightly_  
starchier texture than white turnips.

OTOH, since rutabagas are, as I recall, a.k.a. Swedes and the "neeps"  
of Scotland (as in "tatties and neeps"), they're probably the more  
appropriate turnip for Scotch Broth anyway...

Adamantius




"S'ils n'ont pas de pain, vous fait-on dire, qu'ils  mangent de la  
brioche!" / "If there's no bread to be had, one has to say, let them  
eat cake!"
     -- attributed to an unnamed noblewoman by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,  
"Confessions", 1782

"Why don't they get new jobs if they're unhappy -- or go on Prozac?"
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